The Prophet Paradox, by Danny Tuttle

Characters

There were many characters present in The Prophet Paradox, each playing either a large or small part in developing the story and moving the plot along. However, I’d like to focus on four individuals in particular.

Firstly, let’s look at Dr Anne Heart. Anne was a courageous woman who stood up for what she believed in. As an orphan, she always felt lost and struggled to trust others. Additionally, as an archaeology scholar, she proved to be highly intelligent and curious by nature. However, it was this burning curiosity which had the tendency to get her into trouble. Overall, I found her to be a likable and admirable character, mostly because she dared to do dangerous things in the name of what she thought was right, and never gave up.

Secondly, I turn to Maxwell Moore (Max), a dedicated physicist. Max was a bit harder to pin down personality-wise. He seemed respectable and gentle in nature, driven by his life-long passion for science. He was always using logic to reason things out and seemed to have a good heart, despite his multiple casual relationships. I disliked the fact that he bedded a woman and then seemed outraged at her jealousy when he immediately slept with another. At this point, he seemed a bit childish in comparison to the more serious man of science I came to know over the course of the story.

Thirdly, let’s discuss The Abbot, head monk at the ancient monastery where Anne found the manuscript. The Abbot was a curious character right from the off. He initially appeared soft-spoken and somewhat detached, preoccupied by whispers from ‘beings of higher consciousness’ which are referred to as his spiritual masters. There is talk about him mastering ancient mysteries, but not really an explanation as to what they are or how he is mastering them. His manner of speaking quickly became tedious to read, talking in circles that made little sense. As the story continued, a darkness arose about him, corrupting him. While at first, I thought him to be a decent holy man, he soon became a dark and mysterious foe in Anne Heart’s life.

Finally, we come to Adam, a deeply religious man who often calls himself Michael. I’ll be perfectly honest, I did not like Adam, not at any point in the story. His narrow perception of the world as coloured by obsessive religious views led him to see most people as somehow beneath him. He professed often to being a good Christian, however, his actions are nothing alike the peace and grace of the Christ figure he so believes in. For the most part, he came across as creepy and obsessive (especially over Anne) and always seemed on edge, playing with two copper balls he kept on his person at all times. At best, Adam seemed deluded: I wasn’t sure if he was supposed to have a split personality or something. The end of the book certainly implied it, however, it was something which wasn’t explored well, leaving me uncertain.